SNA TIG Week: Rebecca Woodland on Social Network Analysis as a Tool for Improving Teacher Collaboration

Hi, I am Rebecca Woodland, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Through the Collaborative School Leadership Network (CSLN), I work with superintendents and administrators to evaluate and strengthen teacher collaboration. Recently, I have begun to incorporate the use of social network analysis (SNA) into this work, which has strengthened my […]

SNA TIG Week: Rebecca Woodland on Social Network Analysis as a Tool for Improving Teacher Collaboration Read More »

SNA TIG Week: Irina Agoulnik on Evaluation of Scientific Interdisciplinary Teams with Social Network Analysis

My name is Irina Agoulnik and I am the 2011 Program Chair of the Social Network Analysis (SNA) TIG. My day-to-day job involves management of a large Interdisciplinary Research Consortium (IRC) funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund. To assess the effect that interdisciplinary approaches might have on scientific productivity and innovation

SNA TIG Week: Irina Agoulnik on Evaluation of Scientific Interdisciplinary Teams with Social Network Analysis Read More »

SNA TIG Week: Maryann Durland on Measurements and Sociograms in Social Network Analysis – Why Both Are Important

Hi AEA 365er’s. I’m Maryann Durland, founding Chair of the Social Network Analysis (SNA) AEA Topical Interest Group (TIG) and an independent consultant with specialization in SNA. My topic in this SNA TIG series is about the importance of both measurements (numeric data) and sociograms (visual graphics) in SNA. Lessons Learned: The field of sociometrics

SNA TIG Week: Maryann Durland on Measurements and Sociograms in Social Network Analysis – Why Both Are Important Read More »

Tysza Gandha and Katherine Ryan on Extending the Focus Group Method

Greetings to all! We are Tysza Gandha and Katherine Ryan from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. With our colleagues at the Illinois Assessment and Accountability Project, we have been evaluating policy consequences. Like many evaluators, we rely on focus groups to gain a deeper and richer understanding of people’s experiences and perspectives in a

Tysza Gandha and Katherine Ryan on Extending the Focus Group Method Read More »

Agata Jose-Ivanina on Identifying and Evaluating a Program’s Costs

Greetings all! I am Agata Jose-Ivanina and I am a Senior Associate with ICF International, a research and evaluation firm headquartered near Washington, DC. As the budget debate has been heating up and educational agencies have to make hard choices, we have seen an increased demand to include a cost component as part of program

Agata Jose-Ivanina on Identifying and Evaluating a Program’s Costs Read More »

Gary Huang on Improper Payment Studies

Hi, I’m Gary Huang, a Technical Director and Fellow at ICF Macro, Inc. in Calverton, Maryland. My colleagues, Sophia Zanakos, Erika Gordon, Gary McQuown, Rich Mantovani, and I are presenting at AEA’s upcoming conference on improper payment (IP) studies. We conduct research and evaluation relating to benefit eligibility and payment errors under rubric of IP.

Gary Huang on Improper Payment Studies Read More »

Jenell Holstead and Mindy Hightower King on Evaluating Out-of-School Time Activities

Greetings from the Midwest! We are Jenell Holstead (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay) and Mindy Hightower King (Indiana University). For the past eight years, we have evaluated 21st Century Community Learning after school programs both at the local level, as well as statewide initiatives in Indiana and Kentucky. This post discusses best practices for evaluating out-of-school

Jenell Holstead and Mindy Hightower King on Evaluating Out-of-School Time Activities Read More »

Susan Eliot on Evaluation Stories

I’m  Susan Eliot, an independent qualitative research and evaluation consultant in Portland Oregon. As an applied researcher, I’m continuously searching for creative yet rigorous qualitative approaches that fit my clients’ budgets and capabilities. I recently employed a method called the evaluation story to elicit feedback from elementary and middle school students enrolled in an AmeriCorps

Susan Eliot on Evaluation Stories Read More »

Rakesh Mohan and Maureen Brewer on Successfully Navigating Through the Political Maze

Greetings from beautiful Boise!  We are Rakesh Mohan and Maureen Brewer from the Idaho legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations. Our post complements previous posts by Dawn Smart (8-30-11) and Tessie Catsambas (9-18-11). Last year, we were asked to evaluate the governance of EMS agencies in Idaho because there were concerns about the duplication of and

Rakesh Mohan and Maureen Brewer on Successfully Navigating Through the Political Maze Read More »